— He never told you to leave the farm. If you had stayed there, things would have worked out.Adrian gave him a bitter smile, the gesture not quite reaching his gaze.— Of course, the way he, and you too, solve things, by killing people, like you almost did to me, if my mother hadn't taken me out of there, she would have been silenced, just like Juliane was. And I would definitely be next on the list.At that moment, Adrian's cell phone rang and he answered the call from the security guard. It was the police chief, who was at the gate with a warrant for his arrest for having violated his parole by leaving the city the day before.— Great, let him in. He'll definitely arrest someone today, but that someone won't be me — said Adrian.— No, Adrian, please. — For the first time since she had entered the house, Silvana showed some emotion, a measured distress. — Don’t send me to jail. Don’t destroy my life even more.—What about Juliane’s life? Could hers have been destroyed? What about mi
RAVENA A short time later, Adrian and I were leaving Santa Clara in the same helicopter that we had used to take the DNA test in São Paulo. In the capital of São Paulo, we landed at a small private airport, behind a house that looked like something out of a dream, located far from the hustle and bustle of the city center. There, we exchanged the helicopter for a private jet and continued our journey.While still on the plane, we were served a delicious lunch by the flight attendant and about five hours after leaving the city, we were landing on a runway on the island of Fernando de Noronha, a true paradise. There, a jeep with no roof, driven by a driver, was already waiting for us and we set off along the unpaved road, flanked by greenery on one side and the vastness of the sea on the other. With every meter we traveled, I became more enchanted, truly fascinated, by the beauty of that place, filled with almost untouched nature, bathed by the ocean whose waters had a simply magnificen
— Have you brought many women to this place?— Not as many as you might think.I would bet that the receptionist who greeted us was one of those who had already been there with him.— When you went to Santa Clara, didn't you have anyone in São Paulo? Like a girlfriend?Adrian smiled, as if he found the question amusing.- No.— It seems impossible to imagine a man like you not having a relationship, or several.I don't believe in this relationship thing. The women who have come here with me, or to other places, were just for fun. We had fun together, as it should be. — Have you never been in love?— No. Love is something people invent as an excuse to stay together and procreate. Since I never thought about having children, I never needed to use that excuse.Her words about never having thought about having children hurt me like physical blows.— I'm sorry my mother forced you into something you didn't want.— Don't be. Despite everything, the unexpected happened. I never imagined that
It was then that I exploded, in such an overwhelming orgasm that it brought tears to my eyes and screams to my lips, which became even more intense when Adrian ejaculated inside me, gracing me with the delicious spasms of his cock against my sensitive flesh, spilling himself all over and marveling at the grunts that seemed to come from the back of his throat.**We spent three more days in Fernando de Noronha. Days during which we didn't leave each other's company for a minute and enjoyed the beauty of the place. On the first day, Adrian took me on a buggy ride around the island, where I was simply enchanted by the exuberant beauty of every corner and discovered that the sea was even more splendid than I had imagined in my dreams. At noon, we had lunch at a restaurant near one of the beaches and in the late afternoon we returned to the bungalow.The next day, we went for a boat ride, where I got to know several other beaches, each one more paradisiacal than the last. On the third and
ADRIAN If there was one thing I had never experienced since I was ten years old, it was spending three whole days immersed in complete peace, without remembering my problems, without hatred being present in every tiny cell of my body and soul.Those were the days in Fernando de Noronha with Ravena, the best of my life, since my innocence was stolen when I was still a child. I wanted to stay there forever with her, wait for our son to be born and continue living with them both at the resort. However, real life awaited me and it was quite different from the dream I had lived in that paradise.In real life, I couldn't just forget the goals I had been fighting for for so many years. I had to move forward and see the pipeline through to the end, even though those days of peace had managed to make this project, as well as my plan for justice, seem incredibly irrelevant to me. It was as if a new door had opened inside me and shown me other directions I could take my life, directions I had n
— There was no way. There was no time. He would have done it anyway.His tender arms continued to wrap around me, comforting me, as my head rested on his shoulder.Marina, who had just returned to the room as the security guards entered through the front door, obviously attracted by the sound of the gunshot, was the first to approach the body. After checking Arnaldo's pulse, she practically screamed:— He’s still alive! — She looked at me, as if she expected me to do something, but I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed by shock. — I’m going to call an ambulance — she added, taking her cell phone out of her jeans pocket.**When the ambulance arrived, I was still in shock, but a little calmer. Two nurses quickly placed Arnaldo on a stretcher and carried him to the vehicle. For some unknown reason, I wanted to go with him, in the back, with the security guards following us in another car. Ravena also wanted to go with us, but I asked her to stay at home, since the hospital where her mother h
ADRIANRavena's eighteenth birthday was in three days and Marina had already asked my permission to throw a big party, with the presence of one of those singers that teenagers liked, a party to which I agreed.During the preparations, the two girls were whispering a lot in the corners of the house, which led me to suspect that they were planning something beyond this celebration. Considering that Ravena would be turning eighteen and, therefore, would be of legal age, in charge of her own destiny and free to do whatever she wanted with her life, without needing anyone's permission anymore, I assumed that they were both planning to run away with my son. I thought this because it was what I would do if I were in her place. But I couldn't allow this child to be taken from me, especially to enter an uncertain life, like my mother's, trying to raise me alone, with no money, no home and no father figure. I needed to do something to stop those two from committing such madness, but first I nee
— No need, thanks. I'm fine. Just leave me alone.Clearly disappointed, she scanned the table with her eyes, as if suspicious and checking to see if I was actually engaged in the work, or just avoiding her.— Sure. Sorry to bother you.Having said that, she left the office, head down, while I remained sitting behind the desk, dominated by that myriad of love and hate that burned in my veins, threatening to drive me mad.I didn't leave the office that night. After a few shots of whiskey, I ended up falling asleep right there, in an armchair, which made me wake up the next morning with a terrible backache. When I realized that I had been woken up by the insistent ringing of my cell phone, I answered the call, still sleepy. It was from the hospital, a nurse calling to say that Arnaldo had woken up, a miracle, according to her. In my opinion, it was just proof of the saying that a bad vase doesn't break.I analyzed my feelings upon hearing the news and was relieved to realize that I was s
RAVENA Five years later...It was Sunday and the day was sunny, although a cool, constant breeze was blowing, easing the heat of that time of year.As we used to do on weekends, when we weren't traveling to some paradise destination, Adrian and I would have a barbecue in the backyard of our house in São Paulo. We had three maids who worked with us from Monday to Friday, but on Saturdays and Sundays, I insisted that we prepare everything ourselves.While my handsome husband was busy grilling the meat on the large barbecue in the pool area, the children were playing on the lawn further ahead, running excitedly after a ball, along with Mr. Arnaldo, who could barely keep up with them . Heitor, our firstborn, was the fastest. He scored all the goals, but he didn't let his younger sister, Maria Flor, get left out, making it easier for her to kick the ball a few times, even though it wasn't easy to keep up with her brother at three years old.Watching them, I was filled with affection and p
— Sorry for the interruption, guys, but I had to come up here and make a fool of myself so that the girl I love would believe in my love. — He fell silent for a moment and there was a shower of boos and whispers of admiration, which became audible in equal measure. — Ravena, I love you, more than I've ever been able to love anyone in my life. — When they heard my name being pronounced, the crowd moved away, forming a semicircle, creating space between me and the stage, all eyes turned in my direction, while I remained petrified, with my heart racing, my face burning with shame, for becoming the center of attention. — With you, I learned to forgive, something I never imagined I would be capable of. You taught me to love and, as selfish as it may be, I want to spend the rest of my life by your side. Forgive me for all the stupid things I said before. Come home with me, my love, we'll raise our child together .He fell silent and a deathly silence fell over the place, all attention was f
Burning with fury, I crossed the few meters that separated us, dodging the crazed dancers along the way and closed my hand around his arm, causing him a small fright.—Come with me. We need to talk. — I had to change the tone of my voice so that it would be audible over the sound of the loud music.Raven stared at me in silence for a moment, her eyes filled with disbelief. But then she seemed to come to her senses again, her face contorted with anger, as she jerked her arm out of my grasp.— I have nothing to talk to you about! — she shouted, enraged.— Yes, there is. Come with me right now! — I replied.When I closed my hand around her arm again, determined to get her out of that hell, the idiot who had a crush on her had the nerve to come at me, wanting to fight.— She already said she doesn't want to talk to you, man. Let her go — he said.I slapped my free hand on his chest and it took just one push for him to stagger back. But he had his cousin and other friends who had joined th
ADRIANI was in the middle of one of the most important meetings about that project, the last one I would hold with the engineers and shareholders before my return to São Paulo, and yet I couldn't concentrate on anything the men and women seated around the large rectangular table were saying.As had been the case for the past few weeks, all I could think about was Raven. I was about to go crazy with her new habits, with that new mania of always leaving the house, going back and forth to Belize, having fun as if there was no tomorrow.I really wanted to be happy for her, for the fact that she was managing to move on without me, after all that was how things had to be. She was just living her life as she should. However, I was on the verge of madness, I couldn't stop thinking about her, about what she did with those idiots out there. Because of such thoughts, I had reached the height of absurdity by ordering my security guards to keep that Fernando guy as far away from her as possible,
The next day, I had lunch in my room again, to avoid meeting him around the house. In the afternoon, at a time when Adrian was never home, I went downstairs with Marina to sunbathe near the pool, as I had been doing for the last few days.She and I were lying side by side, stretched out on lounge chairs, wearing only our bikinis, when unexpectedly Adrian approached, coming from the direction of the house, looking like a mirage with his athletic and elegant build, inside the blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and gray dress pants.“Marina, could you leave us alone for a moment?” he asked, his voice much calmer than the day before, his large body blocking my sun.— Of course. — Cowardly as always, Marina got up and left the garden almost running.Adrian sat sideways in her seat, facing me, while I lay there, motionless, my eyes half-closed against the sun, unable to keep every tiny part of my body from becoming aware of his proximity. The unwanted heat of lust welled up
According to Marina, we were celebrating my birthday, so I could choose anywhere we wanted to go. There weren’t many entertainment options in Belize, so I ended up choosing the amusement park, which I had only heard of from photos that people from Santa Clara posted on social media when they were there. It seemed childish for my age, but it was a place I had always wanted to visit, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity.That's where we spent the whole afternoon, having fun on the rides, playing games, dancing, talking nonsense and relaxing, like normal people did. It was this kind of happiness that Adrian was talking about when he said that I needed to live my youth before tying myself down to marriage and children.I agreed with him that that kind of pastime, that being carefree was really fun, but it didn't even come close to what existed between us, or at least what I believed existed.My choice would always have been to stay with him, but unfortunately he didn't want m
The week that followed was one of the worst of my life. In order to avoid seeing Adrian, I spent practically the entire day in my room, ate my meals there, only left when I was sure he wasn't home, and only went out to the back garden to get some sun.All the time I felt dominated by blind hatred, no longer able to cry, but only regret having once trusted that man, having loved him and opened my heart to him. He was like my mother, a scoundrel and without scruples, the only difference was that we didn't have the same blood running through our veins.To my salvation, Marina was my constant companion, she was always with me, cheering me up, encouraging me to leave that room and go out and live life. Every day, she invited me to go shopping in Belize, as before, but I was afraid of harming the baby, since the doctor had recommended that I rest.After a week, I was tired of being cooped up, so I used some of the money I had been saving to bring one of Belize's most renowned doctors to the
RAVENAI woke up feeling my throat extremely dry, my body slightly aching. For a moment, I was dazed, not knowing where I was, or what had happened. I blinked a few times, focusing on the ceiling above me. It was white, unfamiliar. I looked around and discovered that I was in a hospital room, with an IV hooked up to my arm.Adrian was sitting in an armchair next to me, his attention focused on the screen of a laptop, and it was only when I looked at him that I remembered everything that had happened, his contemptuous words, the fall down the stairs.As I was overcome by an agonizing anguish, my hands went to my belly, almost by reflex, looking for my baby, without being able to distinguish if he was still there.— My baby… — I stammered, but my voice barely came out. — My baby — I said again and, this time, I managed to get Adrian’s attention, who immediately put down the computer and stood up, standing next to me.— Raven, thank God you're awake. How are you feeling?The sound of his
Ravena still tried to resist, placing her hands on my chest and pushing me away, but in the end she let her desire get the better of her and allowed me to strip her of her robe and take her to bed.There was so much to say, but there was no space for words. All I could do was take her to myself, overcome by the certainty that this would be the last time I would taste her, that I would kiss my son while he was still in her belly. The last time she would be mine, because after we talked, she would never look at me again.Overcome by a whirlwind of heightened emotions, I loved her with all my intensity, giving and receiving pleasure, kissing every tiny part of her body, saving her taste and her smell, experiencing for the last time the sensation of being inside her. Until, finally, we lay motionless in bed, naked, sweaty, cuddled up to each other, enveloped by a silence filled with a restlessness whose reasons were different for both of us.“Raven, I love you,” I whispered. Before she ha